The Knight Bus
by Acciopencil
Summary: Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley find themselves together on a hilarious and romantic ride on the Knight Bus. Written for the Rose Vs. Lily Challenge.


**My fanfiction for the Rose vs. Lily Challenge. This is my first challenge, so I hope you enjoy! (:  
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**_"I never knew how romantic a backseat could be."_

- Kissed by an Angel by Elizabeth Chandler

"You have got to be kidding me, Dad. I mean - the _Knight bus_? You're joking! Why can't we just do Side-Along Apparition instead?"

A few wisps of my white-blond hair fell into my eyes as I turned around to face my dad. I had just finished packing my Hogwarts trunk; my family and I were going to be staying at The Leaky Cauldron for the last weekend before school started so I could get the supplies and books I needed for my sixth year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. I had insisted we had do Side-Along to get there (mostly because I could boast I had Apparated before any of my mates) but as usual, my dad had other ideas.

Blue eyes met blue as my dad cast me a stern look with a twitch of his head. For a second, we glared at each other, not wavering our gazes, before I looked downward. I knew my dad better than the back of my hand, and if he did the Twitch, you'd be best not to argue if you favored your head.

"You know you're too young for Apparition, Scorpius," Draco Malfoy said coldly. He held up a pale hand as I opened my mouth to argue. "The Knight Bus may be not my choice of transportation, but it's the easiest, so therefore you will go. This discussion has been closed."

Of course it wasn't his choice of transportation - it was my mom's. Her little Scorpy would be far too young to handle Apparition without wetting himself.

My mom gave me a weak smile as she rested a hand on my dad's shoulder.

I sighed, knowing my parents had won. I could argue with Dad for hours, but once it came to Mum, I just couldn't.

"Okay. Fine."

I shoved past my parents and out the front door. I couldn't help wincing as the heavy trunk collided with my feet as I lugged it down the steps; after 6 years I still was as clumsy as ever with my trunk as I had been when I first got it. It seemed almost like yesterday that I had tried to heave my trunk onto the rack the first day on the Hogwarts Express. The trunk had spilled open, scattering books and ink everywhere, along with my heart-dotted boxers that had floated gracefully on top of my head without my knowledge. Everyone that was on the train still remembered me as the little first year who unknowingly wore girly underwear on top of his head for the first five minutes of the ride. You wouldn't believe the looks I got, until Albus Potter and Rose Weasley came into my compartment and had kindly pointed out that I was wearing a nice hat. There are loads things that started great friendships, and I guess heart boxers was one of them.

**BANG!**

I stumbled backwards and tripped over my trunk and landed with a hard thud on to the concrete. A large, purple bus screeched to a stop, right where my feet had been moments before.

I managed to stand up shakily and straighten out my robes before a middle-aged conductor in a purple suit that stretched tightly over his belly hopped cheerfully off the bus and shook my hand. His eyes shown almost as much as his greasy hair as he said, "Hello, welcome to the Knight Bus, your number one emergency transp -"

"There will be no need for your silly little introductions tonight, Stan."

My dad walked up besides me with my mum at his arm. For a second, a warning rose in my throat as I saw Dad's wand pointed at the conductor (my dad had a habit of hexing people before he got to know them), but I breathed a sigh of relief as I realized this had been to call the Bus.

"I'm sure you can tell what I'm sure was your well-rehearsed speech to another wizard that needs transportation, but for now my son needs to go to Diagon Alley." My dad's eyes flashed, as if daring him to protest.

Stan looked over at my dad, or more at his wand, and inclined his head in a stiff sort of nod. "Of course, Draco." The cheerful manner of his voice had mysteriously vanished, replaced by a professional tone that sounded odd coming out of the bubbly, big-bellied man. "That will be eleven sickles."

My dad wordlessly dropped a pile of sickles into the conductor's palm as he turned to me. "We'll see you soon, Scorpius. Your mom and I still need to pack for the Leaky Cauldron, but we'll be there before 10 o' clock. There's a room already reserved for us, and you'll find your owl awaiting you in the room.

"Wait - you're not coming with me?" The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them, and my face instantly flushed as I realized how childish this sounded. I was just surprised - my mom, let me go somewhere alone without her constantly keeping an eye out for me? This was a miracle!

"Not unless you want us to, Scorpius," Mum chocked out, giving me a strangled smile. I was sure she was trying hard not to pull her hair out at the idea of me going somewhere alone.

"No!" I said, a little bit too quickly, for my dad gave me a curious look. "I mean - Mum, Dad, I'm sixteen. I'm sure there's no man-eating Acromantula lurking under the seats."

My mum flinched, probably at the image of an Acromantula eating her son. "Of course not, sweetie," she said tearfully, and before I could escape onto the Knight bus my mom flung her arms around me in a tight hug. Silent tears trailed down her face, and I awkwardly patted her hair .

"Mum, I'm only going on the Knight Bus, not to the army or anything. No need to be so dramatic." I got away from her grasp, slightly horrified that my mom would act this way.

My mum wiped her eyes on sleeve of her cloak and stepped back a few steps so my dad could wish me good-bye.

I hope she wasn't expecting the same tearful farewell from my dad, because all he did was clap me on the shoulder. My dad was never the one for big hugs or "I-love-you"s, especially if he was only going to see me in 2 hours, but that was okay. I got enough of that from one parent.

"You better get going, son, or your mother might throw a "Good-Bye-See-You-At-The-Leaky-Cauldron-In-Two-Hours" party if you're not fast enough."

I hastily jumped on board the Knight Bus, knowing my mom probably would if she got the chance. I saw Stan carry my trunk onto the Bus, and I nodded politely in thanks.

I adjusted my silver glasses that were beginning to slip down my nose as I turned to face the seats of the Knight Bus.

The hopes that I would be able to relax and get a seat to myself instantly vanished. At once. The Bus was packed, filled with wizards and witches sitting crammed together 4 or 5 in a seat and desperately trying not to fall off. As I hesitantly made my way to the open seat I saw that had one person sitting cross-legged in it, and I could tell right away why he had been avoided. An old man sat in the seat, dried drool flaking his chin and strings of long white hair tied back in a ponytail on the top of his head. A suitcase that smelled oddly like rotten cabbage lay on his lap. He certainly didn't look like the ideal company to have on any sort of bus.

I cleared my throat, about to ask if I could sit there, when a familiar voice chirped up behind me.

"Are you going to sit with that old dimbo, enjoying the ride with drool pelting your face, Scorpius? Because I'm sitting alone if you haven't noticed. "

I turned around, and to my surprise I saw Rose Weasley, my best friend (or sort-of best friend. It's hard to count someone as a best friend if all we do is bicker) sitting alone in seat near the end of the bus.

"Rose? Is that you?"

"No, it's Horace Slughorn, toerag!" Rose said, rolling her eyes. She teasingly punched me in the arm - but teasingly or not, it hurt like heck. "Of course it's me!"

I couldn't help grinning as I plopped down in the seat besides her. "How come you're riding the Knight Bus, Rose? Finally got fed up with your family and decided to become a teenage delinquent?"

Rose snorted. "Haha, very funny, Scorp. At least my parents don't cling to me every second, or burst into tears."

I glared at her, but there was no stopping the red flush that was creeping along my pale cheeks. "You saw that?" I asked, mortified.

Rose shrugged. "Only me and every one on this Bus. And anyways, I'm not alone. My whole family is here." She tucked a piece of curly brown hair behind her ear and pointed a couple rows back. Sure enough, I saw a shock of red hair crammed into one seat. My eyes flickered to Rose's dad, who I've met a few times before when I went to Al's house for dinner sometimes, and I quickly looked away as I saw him grimace in my direction.

"Ignore him," Rose murmured in his ear. "He's just upset because Mom made him take the Knight Bus instead of Apparating, and he's never been very..well, _happy_, that me and Al are friends with a _Malfoy_." She waggled her fingers in front of my face in mock horror at the mention of my name, and she gave me a teasing grin.

I opened my mouth to say something back, when a loud **BANG!** interrupted me, and I was thrown forward across the seat as the Knight bus took off. I let out a yelp as me and Rose's foreheads collided with a sickening crash, and I heard Rose give wince of pain as my glasses cut into the bridge of her nose as we collided.

"Scorp!" I heard her screech, but my head hurt too much to care; I pressed my hands against my forehead, trying to stop the pounding pain. "You idiot! Why didn't you stop yourself from crashing with me?"

I glared up at her between my hands and a blur of red, curly hair swam in my vision as my eyes streamed with tears. "It's not my fault," I said through gritted teeth," that I can't control whatever my forehead fancies to crash into."

Rose caressed her nose dramatically as she moved herself a few inches away from me, as if she sat any closer I might blow her up or something. "Whatever."

I could tell Rose wanted to say more, but a little old lady had hobbled down the aisle - most likely to request a doggy bag, as her face was tinted a dark shade of green.

Rose probably didn't want to permanently damage the poor lady's ears with the wonderfully large list of swear words she knew.

I glanced nervously back at Rose's dad, who thankfully was too busy to shove himself more room between his wife and son to notice the incident.

Rose and I sat in 30 seconds uncomfortable silence, sharing glares and "Don't-even-think-of-bothering-me" glances between one and other.

I forgot to be prepared as the loud **BANG! **echoed once again throughout the bus as it came to a jolting stop. My fingers made a wild attempt to grab onto the window edge, but they slipped on the cold metal as I was rushed forward once more, and instead managed to wrap themselves around Rose's waist and slip down across the bottom of her jeans.

I looked up hesitantly at Rose's face through the strands of blonde hair that had fallen across my face, and gave her an weak _"whoopsy-daisy"_ smile. I heard a BANG! louder than the Knight Bus, and at the same time, a stinging pain in my cheek.

I couldn't believe it. Rose Weasley had smacked me. Hard.

For a second, I thought I heard her mum whisper something about "repeating history", but I didn't risk glancing back to look at her family.

"So you can't control where your hands go either, huh?" Rose whispered scathingly. Her cheeks were bright red, but from embarrassment or anger I couldn't tell. "Maybe you should go to Saint Mungo's - see why you're limbs are flinging themselves about wherever they please."

"Rose!" I chocked out. My cheeks were burning (and not just from the smack), probably much more red than the usually tint of pink they usually get. "It wasn't like that! Seriously!" I added, as she threw me a death-glare.

"Sure, Scorp. Sure!" Her voice was unusually high-pitched, and sounding almost maniacally. "Why don't you just go sit with Drooly-Cabbage-Man? That way you can grab _him_ wherever you please!"

I mouth hung open, trying to form sentences that didn't seem to come. "I'm not gay!" I finally sputtered out.

She raised a hand to smack me again, her blue eyes flashing dangerously. Not wanting to meet the same fate again, I avoided the blow, but narrowly.

"You ignorant, little, idiotic cockroach... -"

Her sentence got cut off, as another** BANG! **split against my eardrums, and the Knight Bus took off yet again.

Both caught off guard, me and Rose were flung, yet again, towards each other. It was useless trying to stop the collision - the Knight Bus was going way too fast.

I braced myself for another forehead-cracking collision, and probably another smack from Rose after it was over...but the pain that I was expecting didn't come.

Instead of our foreheads greeting each other painfully once again, I felt something warm and moist against my own lips.

It took a few seconds before I realized that I was kissing someone, and it took another few seconds to realize said someone didn't pull away. In fact, the thought that me and said someone were kissing passionately in full view of her family didn't even cross my mind until something triggered in my brain -

_Rose._

With a yelp, I pulled away, and instinctively grabbed a cushion from the seat and braced it in front of my face so I was protected from any oncoming fists.

The cushion was yanked out of my grasp and thrown across the floor.

I looked in horror from my only source of protection that was strewn across the floor, and Rose's face that swayed in front of my eyes. I opened my mouth to scream, when Rose whispered, "Merlin, Scorpius! Don't be such a drama queen! Just kiss me!"

She wrapped her arms around my neck as our lips met for the second time, kissing more eagerly and passionately than before. I breathed in her sweet scent and I realized I had wanted this all along - and it took only a Knight Bus ride to make me see it.

**I never knew how romantic a backseat could be.**

I felt Rose tilt her head so I could kiss her better, and I earnestly did. I grinned softly into her lips, and I felt her smile gently back.

We continued to kiss for a second longer, until I felt Rose break away and sting against my cheek...again. Trust Rose to slap me after we just _kissed_.

"That's from my dad. He's gonna kill you."

I glanced nervously back at her dad, and sure enough, his mouth was open in horror and he looked like his face was going to explode. I'm sure watching his only daughter make out with his enemy's son did nothing to help his blood pressure.

I gave him guilty smile and shrugged.

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**How did you like it? I put Rose and Scorp only in the last half but I still thought it went okay. ;)**

**Reviews ALWAYS appreciated! Does that ever change?**

**I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed this! You guys are so incredibly kind! Thank you, in means the world to me!  
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